Has your dental practice outgrown your building? From thriving business to technological advancements, it’s important to make sure your dental office can keep up with you and your staff. If you’re looking to grow your dental practice in the Berks County area, DESCCO is here to help! Deciding to remodel, rebuild, or renovate your dental office may feel like a daunting journey, but it doesn’t have to be. Take a look at the tips below to make sure your dental office construction is a success from start to finish.
First Thing’s First: Assess Your Situation
You know your practice’s demands have outgrown your current office, but what about it exactly needs to change? Does your current office already deliver the welcoming energy you want your establishment to provide, or are you still trying to find that element that makes your office unique? Does your current building contain superior architecture that you don’t think you’ll be able to beat, or was your office not originally constructed as a dental office and had to be outfitted to meet your needs when you purchased it?
If your building has that personal touch that you and your patients all love and offers superior architecture, then you may simply want to remodel your current office. However, if you think your office still needs to find that unique feature and wasn’t originally constructed with a dental practice in mind or has issues with HVAC, electrical, or plumbing, you may be better off designing your dental office from the ground up.
People Count
From your staff to your patients, it’s important to keep everyone in mind who’ll be using the office. When designing the floor plan, you’ll want to make sure you and your dental office contractor are on the same page. You’ll want to design a floor plan that’s inviting and flows easily from the front doors to the waiting room, and you’ll want to keep hallways clear. How you design your floor plan, waiting area, and dental work spaces also depend on if you’re planning a pediatric dental office design or adult dental office design.
Be sure to get feedback from your patients and staff as you begin thinking about your remodel. Is there anything your patients would prefer to improve their experience in the office, and are there any suggestions the staff can offer on improvements for equipment placement, technology use, or hallway layouts as they shuffle from room to room.
Compliance Matters in Construction
From adding additions to your office to rebuilding on new ground, it’s important to check with your local government to ensure you’re in compliance with zoning laws and regulations before starting any dental office construction. Failure to comply with your local laws and gaining the necessary permits could result in costly fines and extend the timeframe needed to complete your new office space.
Timing is Everything
It’s important to understand that dental office construction takes time. To ensure the job is done correctly, whether you’re rebuilding or remodeling your dental office, it’s going to require ample time. The planning process alone can take months to iron out every detail. By the time you’re ready to break ground, it could take months to complete for a remodel and over a year for a ground-up project. When you choose to break ground can also dictate how long the project will take. Breaking ground in the middle of a Pennsylvania winter isn’t always the best as frozen ground isn’t easy to work with. Choosing to break ground in the spring as temperatures start to rise can make for a much smoother dental construction experience that will take less time.
Effect on Your Dental Business
It’s just as important to keep in mind the effect this is going to have on your current patients and staff. The purpose of rebuilding your dental office space is to help your dental practice grow, but it’s important to realize the remodel will cause some distress on your everyday operations. If you’re remodeling your dental office, do you wish to work in the space as it’s being worked on? Will the noise affect children in the waiting room or sitting in the dental chair? Will it become a safety hazard for staff and patients as they move from the waiting room to the dental chair? As you plan your dental office remodel, you may want to consider having to close the office during certain time frames of the remodel, or you may wish to rent another space to work out of for the duration of the remodel.
Are you ready to find a dental office contractor that can help your business succeed? DESCCO offers exceptional dental office design and construction services in the Berks County area. Call us today to get started!